Head Coach John Eustace reiterated the importance of remaining together and fighting after his Derby County side were narrowly defeated 1-0 by Luton Town on Good Friday.
The Rams were defeated by a single goal at Pride Park Stadium as Luton struck inside the opening ten minutes through Millenic Alli.
Backs-to-the-wall defending from the visitors denied chances for Jerry Yates, Marcus Harness and Kane Wilson as Derby pushed hard for an equaliser in the second half.
The defeat was only Eustace’s side’s second loss in the last seven matches, with three games remaining in the Championship season.
Eustace reflected on the performance against Luton when he spoke to RamsTVafter thegame.
On defeat against Luton Town…
The first half was obviously disappointing. We looked a little bit anxious and nervous. We couldn't get ourselves going. The second half was a great effort. The attitude of the boys was fantastic. We were on the front foot and were more like ourselves, but we just couldn't get the goal.
On nerves showing in the first half and a missed opportunity to gain points…
It was a big game today with a full house, but we just couldn't get going for whatever reason. Luton set up very well, made it very difficult for us, and we couldn't adapt to that. In the second half we did, but we just couldn't get the goal.
Of course, it [the second half performance] does encourage us. Today was an opportunity that we couldn't take. We've got another opportunity now on Monday at West Bromwich Albion and we'll prepare properly and see where that takes us. The most important thing is that we showed that fighting spirit today. I think we've shown that since I've been at the football club, and we will keep going.
On another day we could have easily scored two or three goals in that second half, so it's not all doom and gloom. Of course we wanted a really positive result, but we're still doing the right things and have three huge games coming up.
On remaining level-headed through the highs and lows in the final three games…
The Championship is relentless, and today we couldn't get the points that we wanted, of course, but the attitude was great. The effort was there for all to see. We're doing the right things. The first half wasn't us; the second half was more like us, and now we've got to build on that and go into the game on Monday feeling confident.
